Eurydice

The German-speaking community in Belgium introduced the DuO-grants to support education and training in high-demand fields. The initiative offers financial aid in exchange for a commitment to work locally afterward, aiming to strengthen the regional workforce. 

From the 2025/2026 academic year, the Autonome Hochschule Ostbelgien (AHS) will introduce a rigorous reform to its teacher education program. Aspiring primary school teachers and kindergarten educators will complete a four-year bachelor’s degree instead of the current three-year program. 

Slovakia’s new Adult Education Act aims to enhance adult education by introducing micro-credentials, individual learning accounts, and professional qualification frameworks, as well as training centres at secondary vocational schools. These reforms promote non-formal education, recognition of prior learning, and employability. 

The Minister for Education and the Minister for Special Education and Inclusion announced the recruitment campaign for therapists to work in schools with children. The therapists will be part of the new Educational Therapy Support Service (ETSS), which was established in June 2024. 

The Finnish model for leisure activities is a project of the Ministry of Education and Culture. The pilot study on the model shows that free, accessible, and inclusive hobby opportunities can positively impact the lives of children and young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

As of 2025, Finnish universities will have nine joint national entrance exams through which applicants can apply for a study place at different universities and in several different fields of education. In addition, the schedule of the entrance examinations will be loosened so that those selected by certificate selection will not have to prepare and take part in the entrance examinations. 

The Irish early childhood education framework, Aistear, has been updated for the first time since 2009. The revised framework, set to take effect in 2025, places greater emphasis on creativity, arts, literacy, numeracy, and STEM education, while promoting the use of the Irish language.

The new Education Act in Norway allows the county authorities to provide upper secondary education to adults who have not completed primary and lower secondary education or equivalent. 

A new legislation in Czechia introduces an adaption period for newly employed teachers as well as two new pedagogical positions in secondary schools.